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Exciting upcoming event: I Do

There is an exciting piece of site-specific theatre on at the Savoy Hotel the weekend after next, July 12 and 13, in the form of I Do.

The blurb is as follows: “Be a fly on the wall in this acclaimed site-specific jigsaw puzzle in six hotel rooms. I Do is a funny, vivid and moving exploration of life, seen through the lens of a family wedding just before a couple tie the knot.”

“Divided into groups, audiences will move through six hotel rooms and experience the same 10 minutes in a different order. Following sell out shows in London, Dante or Die’s critically acclaimed I Do runs over two nights, two shows each evening at The Savoy Hotel.”

Bringing the unique show to the city was the result of a collaboration between The Lime Tree Theatre, Theatre at the Savoy and The Savoy Hotel. I Do was described as “clever, funny, touching” and “meticulously crafted” by the London Evening Standard.

Please note that the performance contains nudity so audience members must be 16 or over. The shows take place 5pm and 8.30pm both evenings. Tickets €20/€16 and can be purchased here.

I love the novelty of both site specific and promenade theatre (where audience members walk or move about following the action) so I highly recommend this. I saw a superb example of site-specific theatre in a hotel in 2010 at the Belltable Unfringed Festival with Memory Deleted by Anú Productions, directed by Louise Lowe.

The main part of the production took place in one room in the Boutique Hotel in Denmark Street. Various actors came in and out of the room for scenes as several different events unfolded—showing previous occupants of this room. Several other rooms on the floor either had actors performing in them (just brief vignettes) or acted as mini-sets. The audience could wander about, peeking into rooms before the main event.

The whole experience was very voyeuristic. You never think (or perhaps try not to think) about the thousands of people who have stayed in a hotel room before you with all their stories, hopes, intentions etc. It’s immersive theatre and a bit mind bending…in a good way!

The Dante or Die production was created by co-artistic directors, Daphna Attias and Terry O’Donovan and written by Chloe Moss. The London-based company is known for using unusual spaces to create “ambitious and infectious” pieces but has also played to venues like the National Theatre in London, Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House and Theatre Royal Haymarket. Terry O’Donovan, who trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, is originally from Limerick so welcome back to him for City of Culture 2014.

If you want a bit more detail, see the official trailer for I Do below…